Description

Gunship depicts one of the Western world's finest attack helicopters: The AH-64A Apache. This simulation recreates the weapons, flight systems, and performance of the real machine. The player controls an arsenal that includes laser-guided Hellfire missiles, a 30mm cannon controlled by helmet gunsights, clusters of bombardment rockets--even air-to-air missiles for duels with enemy helicopters.

The game starts with flight training at a base in the United States. Tutorials teach the player to handle the copter; once the controls and flying skills are mastered, there are escalating challenges and hundreds of missions in any one of four regions of the world, including Southeast Asia, Central America, the Middle East, and the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies in Western Europe.

Forums

Trivia

Apple II and Atari XL/XE versions

Despite loading instructions for both platforms in the manual, the game was never released for those systems.

Development

Originally scheduled for release in mid-1988, the Amiga version of Gunship didn't materialise until mid-1989. Reportedly, the delay was predominantly the result of the programmer's source disk becoming infected with a virus. Source: Amiga User Internation (Sept 88, page 44) and HOL.

MicroProse had to release a later DOS version of Gunship to deal with faster computers. The game was also not easily playable in CGA, due to the similar color of HUD controls vs. targeting radar.

Maxis' Gunship

Maxis released an arcade side-scroller called Gunship made with the Klik and Play system. It was apparently inspired by this game.

Sidewinder missile

The AH-64 Apache actually cannot mount the sidewinder missile at the wingtips as depicted on the arming screen. The manual explained that it should be quite possible to do so, and there was no other air-to-air missile that Apache can mount at the time. In the sequel, Gunship 2000, one gets to choose between sidewinder and the smaller stinger missiles (in a 2-pack).

Strategy Guide

Gunship was so popular, it spawned a strategy guide from Compute! Books titled Gunship Academy.

Awards

ACE

October 1988 (issue #13) - Included in the Top-100 list of 1987/1988 (editorial staff selection)

Commodore Format

March 1991 (Issue 6) - listed in the A to Z of Classic Games article (Great)